Hussein in Calcutta

“Happiness is having someone you like.”

 Calcutta of all places. The city in India you least expect to find happiness. Calcutta – the city of wretched poverty, slums, an inconceivable amount of people. What a challenge trying to find happiness here of all places!

But thousands of people descend on the city on the Hugli River from the country every day in search of a better life. One of them is Hussein. His parents sent him away from their provincial village at the age of twelve, too poor to be able to feed their son themselves. From now on he’ll have to look after himself - in Calcutta, where a family uncle lives.
This uncle has a brass band that plays at weddings and street festivals. Hussein is expected to play the maracas. But life as a musician is hard in Calcutta. They rehearse during the day and perform at night – every day of the week. Those who can’t keep up might get fired; after all, there are thousands of children waiting for an opportunity like this.
Hussein will have to fight to survive; every day children arrive in the slums of Calcutta without work, without a roof over their heads and with nothing to eat.

Annette Dittert (b.1962)
has been working as a TV editor for WDR for many years. She was in charge for and moderated several programs before she became the head of the ARD studio in Warsaw as foreign correspondent for three years. In 2004 she received the well respected Hans-Friedrichs-Award for extraordinary achievements in journalism